| Timber
framing, which relies on the strength of intricate wood-on-wood connections
(no nails, screws, or bolts) evolved in both Europe and Asia. Panels in
the frame may be filled with various materials, including wattle and daub,
adobe, fired brick, straw-clay or straw bales.
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For many centuries
in Europe, timber-frame homes with fired-brick infill were a sign of wealth,
while peasants lived mainly in cob, or earthen, houses. This historic
Danish house has been maintained in its original condition, including
the thatched roof.
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Welsh furniture-maker
David Hughes is constructing this whimsical workshop for himself, from
oak logs rejected by conventional builders.
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Nearly a lost
art, thatching is being revived by determined craftsmen like David Hughes,
who must harvest their reeds in the dead of winter.
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Historic
timber frame buildings in Vannes, France, utilize a straw-clay infill.
The hydrophillic clay helps preserve both the wood and the straw, and
the overhanging upper floors divert rain away from the building, and pedestrians
below.
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